Raspberry Pi Zero W Used as KVM Switch for Two Computers

Ash (362)

Feb 15, 2022

If you’ve got multiple computers to manage, a KVM switch can save you tons of trouble and valuable desk space. These tools make it possible to use one keyboard and mouse with all of them, switching between the machines as needed.

If you don’t have one lying around, check out this project created by a maker known as Sidit77 who created a KVM system from scratch using a Raspberry Pi Zero W. The Raspberry Pi accepts input from one machine via USB and transmits it to the second computer using a server running on the Pi.

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According to Sidit77, it’s necessary for the Raspberry Pi used in this project to be configured as a USB input device. He’s using a Pi Zero W but a Raspberry Pi 4 would also work. The project uses a custom UDP to provide low-latency and better overall performance.

When testing the final product, Sidit77 confirmed that various keyboard layouts appear to translate correctly and all the mouse buttons work along with the scroll wheel. Switching between machines requires no external button, just a hotkey.

To get a closer look at the project in action, check out the original thread shared to Reddit and dig into the source code over at GitHub.